


Goddamn Bloody

by FulgrimOfTheThird



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-13 00:45:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10502904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FulgrimOfTheThird/pseuds/FulgrimOfTheThird
Summary: I just really wanted to write the scene in the dungeon. Then I decided to carry on.





	

Anrik hadn’t been fond of the tower but she’d have chopped off her own arm to be back there right now. Stupid bloody Jowan just had to try and escape because he had a bad feeling. Well he was well away now, leaving his lover in a Templar jail and his former best friend as a Grey Warden. The red headed elf vowed she’d beat that bastard into a fine paste with her own fists if she ever met him again, even if she was only 5’3” tall and weighed about 100lbs. Her bitterness would be more than adequate to make up for her physical weaknesses. It had been weeks now, traipsing around the arsehole of Ferelden with another Warden who should have been in charge but left her to make all the decisions, and a witch who wouldn’t stop bitching and sniping at the other Warden and occasionally her too. At least the dog they’d picked up along the way didn’t demand anything from her apart from the odd belly rub and those she was prepared to dish out. Currently their little group was trudging onwards towards Redcliffe to try and enlist the aid of the Arl there. Lelianna and Sten had stayed at Soldier’s Peak to make sure that all the demons and restless dead were indeed gone from the structure and to help tidy it up along with Levi and his family. Anrik found herself missing the sweet talking bard.  
It was just as they reached the top of a cliff overlooking the village of Redcliffe that Alistair pulled Anrik aside for a moment. The elf tried to bite back a sigh and braced herself for whatever he was going to bring up and knowing she probably wouldn’t like it.  
“Did I ever tell you how I know Arl Eamon?” The blonde man asked nervously swiping a hand through his hair.  
“Something about raising you. Wasn’t really paying attention.” Anrik shrugging, losing what little interest she had in the conversation already.  
“He did raise me. Even though my mother was a laundry maid.” Alistair bit his lip and seemed to be gathering himself. Anrik said nothing. “My father was King Maric.” He finally blurted out. “He had an affair with my mother then promptly forgot about her it would seem. Cailan was my brother.”  
Anrik stared blankly at Alistair for a moment or too as his confession sank in then she threw her arms up in the air. “Oh for fucks sake.” She exclaimed, drawing looks from the dog and the witch Morrigan. “So not only are you the senior Warden of us two but you also have royal blood. For fucks sake why are you following the new hire around?” She sighed and sat down for a moment. “I’ve been a Warden for like a week or so why am I leading? Why were you keeping that from me? Anything else you want to confess?” She scowled.  
Alistair’s face had gone a shade of red to match Anrik’s hair. “Just an unusual love of cheese.” He stammered out and smiled weakly. Anrik rolled her eyes as she got up and stomped back towards Morrigan and Dog.  
“Any dark secrets you need to tell me?” The tiny redhead scowled at Morrigan as she tromped past, fists at her sides. “Is your dad former king of Orlais? Or perhaps your mother is really Queen Anora herself in disguise to escape the court.”  
Morrigan laughed and surprisingly that actually relaxed Anrik a little though she was still steamed at Alistair.  
“Not at all.” Morrigan replied smoothly with a hint of laughter in her voice. “I have the sense to keep all of my secrets well hidden and don’t share them lightly if ever.”  
“Least one of you has sense.” Anrik muttered under her breath before stomping off towards the path leading down the cliff and to the bridge into Redcliffe village. She saw someone stood on the bridge and she began gathering a spell or two together in case the figure was hostile. It approached and turned out to be a worried looking man, and though he was armed with a bow it was at his back and he didn’t seem inclined to grab it.  
“Have you come to help us?” He asked with desperation in his voice.  
“Help with what?” Anrik snapped. “There’s a bloody civil war kicking off and a Blight stewing in the South. Surprisingly I haven’t heard of every shit hole village’s problems.” Morrigan didn’t bother to hide a smile at the small woman’s outburst and Alistair looked away in shame, turning even redder. “Did all the goats escape and now you got nothing to shag?” Anrik continued as Morrigan laughed at that. “I need to see Arl Eamon so move it before I set your ass on fire and punt you into the lake.”  
“The Arl? Has no one really heard? The Arl is sick and the village is under siege.” The villager persisted. “Please will you help us?” He looked desperate and Anrik let out a huge sigh of frustration.  
“Goddamn bloody stupid hick-goat shagger-sister bothering-turd faced-runt of the litter-ball of crap shaped like a man.” The mage ranted before throwing her arms in the air in frustration. “Fine. Take me to whoever the fuck is in charge and maybe they’ll be of more help then you.”  
The villager looked thoroughly cowed and sheepish, led the party into the village chantry and to a man with a fine beard and nice clothes. Anrik liked the look of him until he opened his mouth to ask for help too. Alistair seemed to recognise the man and introduced himself. Anrik rounded on him.  
“Right if you know him then you can help. I’m going into the castle and getting the Arl if I have to drag his ass out here by his bloody ear.” Anrik snapped and began heading towards the door again.  
“Wait please.” Bann Tegan called after her. “Please I beg you to reconsider.”  
Anrik whirled on him and shoved him backwards, taking everyone by surprise.  
“I came here to do one thing and I intend to do it. Oddly enough what I came here to do wasn’t solve everyone else’s problem. I already have one big ass problem called the Blight and civil war to solve.” She snapped. “So either you tell me of a way into the castle or I find a more destructive way in.” She paused, watching Tegan as he seemed to weigh up something in his mind before sagging.  
“Take my signet ring. It will open a trapdoor in the windmill overlooking the village. That will get you into the castle.” He handed over the ring with a defeated sigh. “Perhaps you will find a way to stop this madness while inside anyway.” Anrik took the ring and shoved it into a pocket of her robe. “Alistair stay here and see what you can do to help. Don’t get yourself killed.” Anrik ordered him as she stomped away to go to the windmill that Tegan had mentioned. Morrigan remained silent behind her and Dog just trotted alongside her with his usual dopey smile on his canine face. Anrik lowered her hand and Dog licked it happily causing the small mage to smile at last. She marched right by the knights stood outside the windmill, ignoring their hails as she went inside and found the trapdoor. She fished the signet ring out her pocket and pressed it into a small indent in the wood door, she gave it a twist and something clicked. Anrik heaved the door up, Morrigan having to step in to help get the heavy door all the way up, before climbing down the ladder into the damp smelling stone tunnel.  
“Why does nothing around here smell nice?” The elf griped. “Everything is damp and mud.” She turned to face Morrigan. “You don’t get an opinion, you lived in a swamp so you’re used to this.”  
Morrigan just chuckled and cast a glowing ball of light into the corridor, letting it gently float in front of them as they walked down the corridor until they came to a wooden door, thankfully unlocked. It opened with a squeal of long unused hinges to reveal two rows of jail cells. Outside the furtherest one on her left was a group of walking corpses trying to punch their way through the iron bars. Anrik sighed as she slipped her staff into hands and took aim before shooting a fireball at them. It exploded on impact, knocking the corpses flat and igniting their scraps of clothing. Two didn’t get back up but three more climbed to their feet. A blast of lightning shot past Anrik to indicate Morrigan had entered the fray with her own magics, Dog ran past her with a growl and leapt on the nearest corpse, savaging it with his teeth and claws. Only one remained moving now so Anrik blasted it into meaty chunks with a magically cast stone fist.  
“Well that fucker could have mentioned walking corpses.” Anrik huffed.  
“Would you have stayed to help if he had?” Morrigan asked with feigned sweetness.  
“No. I would have said fuck it and left this place to its fate.” Anrik replied harshly as they walked to see what the corpses had wanted in the cell. Anrik froze in spot and her blood went cold when she saw who it was inside the cell. Jowan. Goddamn bloody, motherfucking Jowan.  
“You!” Jowan exclaimed. “Of all the people I thought it might be I never thought it was you.”  
“Did you think I’d been made tranquil and chucked into some dusty corner of the Tower?” Anrik asked, her voice like ice and her body not even twitching. “Did you think you’d made it out of there totally free?”  
“No. I never meant for any of that to happen. I just wanted to flee with Lilly.” Jowan insisted. “This is all my fault.”  
“You’re damn right it is.” Anrik snapped, sounding more furious than her tiny stature would suggest. “Despite the fact that I was acting under the First Enchanter’s orders when they caught you they still wanted to punish me. Now I’m a Grey Warden, condemned to a young death and tramping through all the mud in Thedas.”  
“I never wanted that to happen.” Jowan muttered, looking utterly ashamed and abashed.  
“What did you think would happen when they found your phylactery destroyed? And then you showed yourself to be a blood mage.” Anrik sighed and rummaged in her robes before pulling out a small leather tube. She flicked the end open and slid out a crooked rod that seemed to faintly glow red. “Remember this?” She held it up. “The Rod of Fire that I used to help you mess up my life.” She pressed it against the lock and burned her way through it. “What are you doing here anyway?” She asked while the rod melted the locking mechanisms.  
“I was hired by Lady Isolde to teach her son. He was showing signs of magic and she wanted someone to teach him without handing him over to the Circle.” Jowan explained, standing back from the door a little. “But I mainly accepted because Teryn Loghain ordered me to poison the Arl here. I never thought it would lead to all this mess too with the dead.”  
Anrik lost her cool at that and flung the door open when the lock was melted through. She threw herself at him, launching herself across the small cell and into the blood mage. Her tiny fists began pummelling into him as he feebly tried to defend himself. Anrik had no combat training and wasn’t particularly strong but all her anger and bitterness that had been building up since being recruited into the Grey Warden’s and now it exploded out onto her former friend.  
“You fucked up again!” She screamed as her fists rained down. “You always fuck these things up because you never think it through! You ruined Lilly’s life, you ruined my life and now I’m going to fucking end yours!” She let out a high pitched screech of rage as blood began splashing up from her blows to the now cowering mage. Jowan might have made a plea for mercy but Anrik wasn’t listening. This bastard had ruined her life, had caused her to be plucked from a nice safe tower and thrown into the middle of world changing events, right where she didn’t want to be. Jowan stopped speaking and mewled weakly until he was finally still and yet Anrik still kept pummelling, her tiny fists beating into the blood mage until Morrigan pulled her away and back into the corridor.  
“He’s dead small one.” She assured the red head. “No need to waste your energy on him now.”  
Anrik let out a broken sob and hugged a stunned Morrigan who eventually awkwardly wrapped her arms around her companion while Dog sat next to her and whined worriedly before licking her hand.  
“I never thought I would see him again but I’m glad I did. Now he can’t fuck anything else up.” Anrik pulled herself together and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. She bent down and retrieved the Rod of Fire before slipping back into the leather tube and stowing it in her robes again. She picked up her staff and headed wearily into the next room, keeping an eye out for any more walking corpses. Sure enough they rose up from a slumped heap and began shuffling and groaning towards the two women and their dog. Anrik flung a few spells at them, wearied by the savage beating she had killed Jowan with and now just wanting to sleep but she knew she had a long day ahead of her yet. The corpses were easily dispatched and she continued on up the staircase at the end of the room. It turned out to lead into the castle’s courtyard, the main doors up a short flight of wide steps to her right. However on the other side of those steps a towering Revenant was moving towards them, seeming to float just above the grass. Anrik let out a weary sigh and Morrigan gently placed a hand on her shoulder before raising her staff to fight the monster. Anrik nodded and straightened up a little before casting magical stone armour on her person before launching a massive stone at the approaching monster. It rocked backwards from the impact and Morrigan hit it with another that spun it around just as Dog got there and began trying to bite and claw the thing to death. However it kept on coming towards the two women and Anrik had to steady herself again as it raised its sword to strike Morrigan down. The apostate ducked under the blow and stumbled back a few steps, firing blasts from her staff as she did so. Anrik let loose a blast of flame that consumed the Revenant, engulfing it in purple flames. It had taken many weeks of study and practice to make the flames different colours but the red head thought it was totally worth it, especially when the monster pitched forward and with a last weak grab for them it expired.  
“What’s the betting the inside of the castle is even more messed up?” Anrik asked as her shoulders slumped and the rock armour disappeared.  
“Probably very high.” Morrigan said with a soft smile on her lips.  
“Fuck sake.” The mage muttered back, than added under her breath. “Wish Lelianna was here.”

With another weary sigh Anrik headed up the steps, casually incinerating the corpses at the top of them, before heaving one of the huge doors open just enough to allow the trio to enter. She was panting by the time she’d opened it, cursing her tiny frame and lack of any real strength. However the door was open and in they slipped, Anrik in the lead with Morrigan behind and to her left and Dog by her side. The group walked through a small antechamber and into a larger hall with a large fire burning in the hearth at one end. Guardsmen stood at the corners of the room, weapons ready and nervous looks on their faces. A boy and a woman stood before the fire and even Anrik could see something was off with them. She tightened her grip on her staff and slowly approached the pair.  
“Stop there.” The boy demanded, his voice harsh and ethereal. “What is this?”  
“This is an elf Connor.” The woman replied, dried tears a stain on her face. “You know what an elf is.”  
“Ah yes, we had them in the kitchens,” The boy now identified as Connor went on. “I cut off their ears and fed them to the dogs.”  
Anrik couldn’t help but shoot a glance down at Dog who cocked his head back at her as if to say, “Don’t worry, I won’t eat your ears.” She turned her attention back to the boy.  
“So this is the reason for all the undead walking around.” Anrik sighed.  
“The boy has become an abomination.” Morrigan added from behind the elf.  
“No. This is as I planned,” Connor insisted. “Father is alive just as I wished and now I get to see the world.”  
“Connor please.” The woman sobbed and fresh tears followed the tracks of old.  
“Mother?” The boy looked confused, his voice that of a normal child again. “What’s going on?” He pressed his hands to his face then seemed to shiver all over before straightening and looking at Anrik and Morrigan again. “What do you want here?” His voice strange once again.

“Preferably a hot bath, a soft bed and enough alcohol to kill me.” Anrik replied. “But I’ll settle for banishing you and shitting on your corpse.”  
Morrigan laughed and both women raised their staffs. The boy fled as the guards stepped forward and raised weapons. Anrik pasted the first one against a wall with a rock fist, cast a bit too hard perhaps when she saw the wall behind the man crack. Dog leapt to her defence, savaging the guard that came for the mage with blade raised. Morrigan was casting lighting bolts and spikes of ice into a guard with a crossbow. The final guard fell beneath the flames of Anrik’s staff and thudded to the floor minus his hair, body fat and soul. Anrik scanned the room, finding all threats gone and the woman cowering in the corner.

“Right explain what the fuck is going on with the abomination child.” The red head demanded as she strode towards the woman.  
“I am Lady Isolde, wife of Arl Eamon.” She straightened as she spoke, trying to seem dignified. Her voice was accented Orlesian and Anrik hated it. “Connor was showing signs of magic. I didn’t want to lose him.” There was a resounding slap that echoed about the hall as Anrik struck the noble woman across the face, sending her reeling back to the floor.  
“Oh is the circle not good enough for your precious baby boy?” She snapped. “It’s totally fine for other peoples families to be destroyed but yours is exempt?” Anger boiled in her again and the mage had to restrain herself from repeating the actions she had visited upon Jowan. “I was snatched from my family at the first signs but it must be nice having money and being able to hide in the castle. Must be nice being able to hire an apostate who fucks everything up, to teach your son and poison your husband and lead to your people being attacked by walking corpses. As a noble woman you have to look after those people too, you arrogant self serving bitch.” Anrik panted as her rant came to an end, shoulders heaving as she took heavy breaths. “Now I have to fix this stupid shit on top of everything else. I hope your womb shrivels and falls out your arse.” She turned to walk away, Morrigan smirking behind her. Isolde made to rise and caught hold of Anrik’s sleeve.  
“Please, you mustn’t harm him,” She pleaded, getting no further as Anrik struck the woman with her staff across the face.  
“Fuck off. You have messed up, allowed your son to be possessed by a demon rather than see him safe in a tower. Your status and gold would have seen him well cared for. And your lands have suffered for it, don’t fucking speak to me.” And with that Anrik left the room with a smirking Morrigan and bouncing Dog. “After this is over I’m going to become a live on top of a mountain and tell everyone to fuck off from visiting.”  
“I would recommend a marsh or forest but we can see where that got me.” Morrigan added with a smile and a tiny chuckle. Anrik relaxed a little and smiled back.  
“Well clearly it wasn’t marshy enough.” The red head teased and Morrigan laughed heartily.  
“You have a good mind, it was wasted in the circle.” The marsh witch spoke through her smile and rested a hand on Anrik’s shoulder.  
“Oh I don’t know about that.” Anrik teased, “I certainly learnt enough to be able banish and control demons more than they would have liked. Plus I’m pretty sure they’re still looking for that Rod of Fire I was using earlier.” The two woman enjoyed a comfortable silence then as they followed the path that Connor had taken, deeper into the castle. They paused in a junction leading off towards 2 other rooms and a staircase. Four suits of armour stood guard and Anrik paused to look at one. She leapt back with a squeak as it began to move, raising the huge sword it was holding before it.  
“Oh come on,” Anrik complained as she threw her hands in the air, summoning her rock armour. “I am really tempted just to bash the kid’s skull in and be done with it.” She knew she never would harm the kid like that but it was really tempting right now as she fought mobile armour. She moved to stand back to back with Morrigan as they attempted to disrupt and unbind the magic that animated the armour. Dog tried valiantly to fight them off but his teeth and claws weren’t much use against metal armour, though he did manage to disrupt one by simply ramming into it and scattering the pieces. The two mages eventually managed to either cause enough disruption to the suits that they also fell apart into clattering heaps.

“See this sort of shit is why I studied demon banishing. Leave them alone and they make freaky shit like this happen.” Anrik sighed and turned to Morrigan. “After we get out of here I am going to drink myself to death.” Morrigan just smirked. “Right, we have to incapacitate the kid then I can banish the demon.” She nodded and Morrigan returned the nod as they headed through one of the doors and found Connor stood there looking at them. Anrik didn’t give the boy time to act but struck out with her staff, catching him on the side of the head and knocking him to the floor.  
“Now!” She called to Morrigan and the witch of the wilds cast a magic prison about the boy, holding him in place as Anrik dug into her pouch and pulled out a couple of lyrium potions. She downed them both and sighed before kneeling next to Connor.  
“After this is done I am going to shit on Isolde’s bed and taking you to the circle myself.” She began to chant, her hands out stretched over Connor’s prone form. Light the colour of the lyrium she had drunk fell from her fingers, seeming to fall like water onto the boy. He convulsed as it splashed onto his skin and he writhed within the bonds Morrigan held him in. Anrik’s chanting grew more frantic and eventually a desire demon stood next to Connor and the boy went slack, unconscious now as Anrik ceased chanting. She looked up at the demon and smiled.  
“So you’re the one who was in there.” She slowly stood up, feeling drained after the ritual. “You have made a real mess. Now heal the Arl properly and I let you return to the Fade in one piece.”  
“I don’t think so.” The desire demon cocked its head as it looked at Anrik. Long fingers traced delicately up her body as she put on a thoughtful expression. “You must strike a bargain if you want something.”  
“I am offering you a bargain,” Anrik snapped back. “You heal the Arl and you get to return to the Fade and try to posses some other poor sod at a later time. Disagree and I will destroy you slowly and maybe even force you into a stone that I will dump into a river where you can’t do anything at all. This whole mess has already been more than I want to deal with so don’t add to it.”  
The demon looked truly thoughtful this time as she eyed up the redhead. “I have your word I can return?” It asked cautiously.  
“If you heal the Arl to good health.” Anrik replied with a nod.  
“Very well.” The demon flicked a hand and a pulse of purple power shot up from its fingers and up through the floor. “It is done. May I go now?”

Anrik nodded. “Glad you saw reason, no point in you losing all chance of doing whatever it is you normally do.” The demon simply nodded in response and in a lurid flash of pinks and purples and blacks it vanished into the Fade once more. “Right let’s go make the Arl sign the treaty or whatever the fuck, I am so ready to be out of here.”

 


End file.
